Winx Club: Forbidden Love
by Nayoki Yakazami
Summary: Bloom recounts the events of the series to an Eraklyon palace servant, and reveals a secret she's kept hidden for four years, even from her friends. - Currently on Hiatus, please check Author Profile for details.
1. Prologue: The Curse of Heartbreak

**Winx Club: Forbidden Love**  
**Prologue** **– The Curse of Heartbreak**

Written By: Nayoki Yakazami  
(No. You do not get to know my real name. But my pen name is suhweet, huh?)

* * *

Eraklyon, one of the most splendorous worlds in the Magic Dimension. As the sun rises on the new day, A figure greets the sunrise in an elegant gown bearing the royal insignia of Domino, their fire red hair waving gently in the early morning breeze. The scent of a fresh new day fills the air as the world comes to life, yet Bloom, the Princess of Domino, waiting to greet the day ahead just gives a wistful sigh.

"The sun rises on a new day, in a world of wonders and pleasures that most people would give anything for. Today, the day of his birthday, Sky plans to announce our wedding to all of the people of the Magic Dimension ...Yet, my mind still lingers so far away with another... So far away with.. her..." Bloom says to herself and no one else as she turns away from the balcony rail to walk into her personal suite. She walks with slow, calm strides across the extravagant room, her footsteps drowned out by the velvet soft carpet. Bloom remains silent for several moments as she stares at the picture on the wall.. a picture of... herself. Slowly her hand moves upwards to the picture, her index finger running slowly along her jaw line, tracing a small outline along a small pink stain on her cheek. Finally, Bloom smiles, and reaches up with both hands to take hold of the frame and lift it away from the wall.

The elegantly carved wood work frame is no small task for Bloom to maneuver carefully to her bed, but she does so without dropping the frame even once. Laying the frame down picture first against the bed, she begins to unlatch the back of the frame, and remove the protective backing which holds her portrait in place. As the backing pulls away, revealing several smaller portraits face down against the back of the large portrait, she places it down against the bed and reaches into the frame to retrieve the smaller portraits. She looks only for a moment, lifting the pictures up high enough so that only she can see... then brings them close against her chest and lowers her head with another sigh as her eyes well with tears. Bloom's arms clench tighter around her chest, holding the portraits against her tighter, her eyes closing to fight back that which she knows she can't control. Tears stream down her cheeks, falling from her chin to land with quiet taps and patters against the back of the large portrait in the wooden frame resting on the bed in front of her. After a few moments, a soft knocking comes from the door on the other side of the room, as well as the quiet voice of one of the Eraklyon royal servants.

"Lady Bloom... Breakfast is to be served soon. I am here to help you prepare properly...", The young voice calls out as yet another soft knocking comes from the doorway, followed by the girl's voice again, repeating... "Lady Bloom?"

Bloom lifts her head away from her chest, her eyes widening with a hint of fear as she speaks. "Just a moment please..!" Bloom waits for a moment but after a few moments, the Princess of Domino begins to move quickly and silently, placing the photos that she had retrieved back in the picture frame, before she places the backing onto the frame again, fastening it securely. Once the backing is locked in place, Bloom moves the portrait with her back across the room to place it back on the wall. Then finally, after keeping the servant waiting for several minutes, she cleans off her face with a soft silk cloth and then opens the door silently. In response, Bloom is greeted by the servant awaiting behind the door with a deep, respectful bow.

"Good Morning, Lady Bloom, I hope the day greets you well?" She says to Bloom who doesn't reply immediately. In fact, the question gets no response from Bloom, prompting the Servant to look over at Bloom silently. Finally, the palace servant smiles, moving across the room to join Bloom. "Lady Bloom.. Would you like to speak with me about anything?"

Bloom's eyes move across the room to the portrait on the wall again before she hangs her head, shaking it slowly from side to side as she speaks, "No.. It's.. not important. ... Talking wouldn't help anyway." The Princess of Domino slowly stands up with that, and walks over to a large vanity near the bed, her eyes locking with her reflection as she moves her hands up to partially unlace the evening gown. The royal servant simply shakes her head, moving over with Bloom to help the princess unlace the gown. As the elegant fabric loosens and slides away from Bloom's body, the servant gives a sudden surprised gasp, followed by a long silence.

"La...Lady Bloom...!" The servant finally says aloud, breaking the silence in the room as Bloom just hangs her head. The royal servant slowly steps closer, lifting her hand slowly to trace her finger down Bloom's back, the tip of her finger following an arcane pattern that seems tattooed into her skin. An ancient symbol long forgotten throughout the ages, even by some of the most talented casters in the Magic Dimension. The servant just remains quiet, her hand continuing to trace the symbol as she tries to make sense of it's arcane signature. Bloom finally shakes her head, speaking out in a cracked voice, her body beginning to shiver, "Stop... Please... Just stop..." Bloom then pulls away forcefully from the royal servant, turning her back to the mirror so that she can face her as she continues, "....Every curse leaves a mark... A signature, denoting it's creators, what the curse is, and how long it will last. ...This symbol... ...Is the mark of the Curse of Heartbreak. An ancient and terrible spell created by the three ancestral witches..."

The young royal servant just blinks as she draws her hand back when Bloom pulls away, her fingers clenching ever so slightly into her own palm as she listens to Bloom's explanation. "...Lady Bloom... Are you ... sure? You have one of the most celebrated engagements in Eraklyon history... How could you-" Bloom shakes her head quietly, raising her hand to stop the servant from speaking. "...Allow me to tell you... The truth... However... you must promise me that what I say... will never leave this room." The servant quietly blinks her eyes, tilting her head to one side before she nods her head softly. Then as Bloom moves to sit down at the chair in front of her vanity, slipping into a very loose undergarment, she moves over behind Bloom and begins to comb through her hair with a hairbrush gently.

Bloom's hand moves up to the mirror quietly, putting one hand against the glass before she sighs deeply, her voice sounding deeper and more troubled as she begins to speak and recount her memories, "It all started four years ago... I had just made the biggest and most embarrassing mistake of my life... Attacking one of the Eraklyon nobles, Princess Diaspro, and interrupting the Exhibition Day at Red Fountain. The worst, though.. Was finding out that Sky had been lying to me about his identity.. I've forgiven him now, but at the time, it really hurt. It also led to my decision to leave Alfea, and Magix for my hometown Gardenia on Earth... An opportunity that the Trix had been waiting for, for a very long time..."

* * *

"Girls! This is our chance, our time to get revenge on that annoying PIXIE for everything she's done to us... And I say we _enjoy_ it!" Icy says to her sisters in a triumphant voice, then grins wickedly as she continues. "We'll give Bloom a going away present to make sure that pitiful little heart of hers stays broken, and once she's suffered for a while, we'll strike and steal her powers. The final crushing blow to the poor little fairy's spirit." Darcy and Stormy look to each other for a moment before the three witches start to laugh, a menacing, dark laughter that travels through the dark rooms and corridors of Cloud Tower.

After the three stop, Darcy just grins to Icy, her hand lifting to generate a pulsating orb of darkness as she speaks, "I know just the spell, sister. An ancient curse meant to cause it's victim eternal heartbreak. One created by our ancestors." Icy's eyes lit up with what could be delight. The idea of causing a fairy, Bloom especially, that kind of emotional pain filled her with joy. Her hand moves forward to touch the orb of dark energy held by her sister, but Darcy pulls her hand away, and the orb with it, her voice raising as she speaks. "Be careful! This spell is not something you want to take lightly. It doesn't discriminate fairy from witch, it will be just as effective on us as it would be on Bloom.", Darcy explains as she picks up a crystal flask, allowing the energy of her spell to flow into it calmly. Then, as she writes down the words of the spell on a slip of parchment, the Witch of Darkness carefully puts the flask in Icy's hand, before she begins to detail the spell's procedure. "Take it to Bloom, recite this spell, and break the flask. The energy will target whoever the spell was cast upon."

Stormy just grins to herself before she crosses her arms, speaking in a condescending tone. "That sounds simple enough even Knut could do it properly. I hope Icy can pull this off without Bloom humiliating her again."

Darcy smiles quietly and shrugs her shoulders turning to walk over to a bookshelf before she reaches up to remove a book. "Well, I would come more trusting her to do it properly than I would you. Unlike you, she actually passed Professor Elditrude's Preparation and Casting of Curses class."

Icy just glares at the two witches for a moment before she lifts the sheet of parchment up in front of her eyes, reading over it before she smiles in an almost sweet manner. "Fine.. I'll take care of it. You two just be ready to move in when I call for you. We cannot let this opportunity slip through our fingers." Icy says before she turns away from the other two witches, walking through the doorway leading out of the room. Darcy and Stormy pause, looking to each other quietly before they both shrug their shoulders and continue their argument.

* * *

A short time later, in Gardenia, Bloom had made her way home, and reunited with Mike and Vanessa, her foster parents. While it was obvious to them that Bloom was unhappy, her decision to stay gave them a somewhat bitter sweet surprise. The two knew that Bloom would be much like a caged bird, living with them again after such a wonderful adventure in another dimension where magic and fairies were common, and they were right. They tried to hide their true feelings from Bloom, but thanks to her powers, she could see that both of them were truly unhappy with her decision to leave her world of magic behind... Or rather, that they were unhappy to see Bloom so unhappy. Still she had returned home, and that meant that at least for a time, they had their daughter back. Unknown to all of them, however... After everyone had finally gone to sleep that night, Bloom would have a guest that, had she been awake that night, would have been very unwelcome.

The midnight air had turned cold, far colder than any weather forecast had predicted. Frost began to form on the window of Bloom's bedroom, and a light fog seeped into the room from the difference in the air temperature outside and that inside the room. The fog began to coalesce, gathering together into a figure, before finally taking the solid form of Icy. In response to the sudden change in temperature, Bloom, who had fallen asleep on her bed in her clothes, simply rolled over and pulled her covers over her body in her sleep. Resting on the edge of the bed, the book that Bloom had been clutching desperately to her chest teeters, falling from the bed. The book never makes it to the floor, however, caught by a swiftly cast spell by the ice witch, who guided the book over into her hands.

'Fairies... Myth or Reality...' Icy reads to herself, in her mind, almost having to bite down on her tongue to keep from breaking out with laughter. She then places the book down silently on the nearby table before looking back at Bloom. 'So pathetic...She doesn't belong here, so she tries to drown herself in a fairy tale world, while leaving a true world of magic and adventure behind. We'll be doing her a favor by ripping the power out of her.' Slowly, Icy moves over to the bed near Bloom, her eyes moving down to watch Bloom sleep for a few more moments as she pulls out the crystal flask given to her by Darcy.

"Well, Bloom... I would say it's been nice knowing you... but the fun we've got planned for you is just beginning..." Icy says to herself, her voice low enough that it doesn't disturb Bloom's sleep. Icy then gives a cold grin as she waves her hand slowly, tracing a pattern in the air as she fills the area with dark magical energy, preparing the room and bed for the spell casting about to take place. Once she finishes, she places one hand forward just above Bloom, beginning to speak in a slow, calm tone as she recites the spell given to her by Darcy. "Power of Darkness, element of the first true ancestor. Cast your eyes upon this girl, the last heir to the throne of Domino, and keeper of the Great Dragon's flame. Let her soul not exist in peace, and her heart know true heartbreak and suffering. Let her dreams be filled with torment, and her mind be filled with sorrow from this night forward." Icy's hand then moves up, carrying the crystal flask with it... Then throws it to the floor with all of her might, the dark energy contained within being released in a sudden burst that fills the room with darkness, all of it beginning to converge on Bloom's sleeping form. Trapped in her sleep by the workings of the curse, Bloom is unable to hear or feel any of this, save for an oppressive feeling of darkness closing in all around her... and then... The room around lights up ablaze in magical flame, the roar of a proud dragon sounding off which causes Icy to take a step backwards.

"W...What?!" Icy calls out as the darkness that was seeping into Bloom's body begins to be pushed back by a dull yellow glow... The glow gets brighter and brighter as do the flames surrounding the bed, pushing the darkness, what remains, further and further back until it begins to coalesce around Icy and converge on the witch instead. Then.. in an explosion of power triggered by the Dragon's Flame.. Icy is gone, the room is quiet, and Bloom sits up with sweat forming on her forehead. She looks around slowly, her eyes moving around the room... but once she's finally convinced that she was only awoken by a nightmare, she lowers her head and drifts back to sleep.

Having reappeared a short distance away outside of Bloom's home, still smoking from the blast of energy that had repelled her, Icy heaves in pain. Her body aches, her mind almost completely unsure if the curse she cast had taken affect over Bloom or not. However, rather than risking another attempt that night, Icy simply shook her head, deciding that it would be best for her plans to lay low and watch over Bloom for a short time. Her sisters would understand, and if it meant ensuring the plan were to go ahead without a hitch, Icy was more than willing to lay low for a time.

The next morning, Bloom awakened to her mother's voice, trying to rouse the girl from her sleep. Slowly Bloom rolled over to one side, giving a quiet yawn before she finally sits up and shakes her head. "Mom... Just five more minutes, please...?" Vanessa just smiled at Bloom, shaking her head silently as she spoke. "Sweetie, if you're going to work in the flower shop with me today, you need to wake up and get ready. You fell asleep in your clothes, you know." Bloom's response to this was to look down at herself, then sigh quietly before she smiles, picking herself up off of her bed, and undressing to her undergarments as she replies, "I know, Mom.. I was just so tired last night that I didn't feel like changing out of my clothes. I'll be down in just a bit, do you mind if I take a shower first?" Vanessa just shook her head to Bloom as she replies, "No sweetie, go right ahead. Breakfast will be ready when you get dressed." With that said, Vanessa turns and walks out of Bloom's bedroom, leaving the girl by herself as she gathers up her clothes and walks into the bathroom across the hall.

Half an hour later, Bloom finally makes her way downstairs, having showered, and changed into fresh clothing for the day ahead. Mike, having a job at the local fire station, had already left for his shift by the time Bloom came down for breakfast. This was no real surprise though, and it didn't really bother Bloom in the least, instead her attention turned to her mother. Bloom pauses to look at her plate for a moment before she sighs, her voice somewhat quiet as she speaks. "Mom.. Are you sure you don't mind if I come to work with you today?" Vanessa just smiles and nods her head quietly before she speaks. "Yes, Bloom, I'm sure. It will be nice to have you around to help out again after so long. Besides, you need to get out and get your mind off of things, this will be the perfect opportunity." Bloom gave a silent smile before she nodded her head in agreement, her hand moving to put her utensil down beside her now empty plate, "Mom.. I-" Vanessa shook her head, cutting Bloom off, her smile genuine as she replies to Bloom, "Bloom... You don't have to apologize... Your father and I want you to be happy, that's all that matters to us." Giving a soft smile in reply, Bloom slowly nodded her head, then stood up to head out to her mother's vehicle so that the two could head to work for the day.

* * *

Vanessa's shop had recovered well, after the fire set by the greedy business tycoons and their limo driver only a few months earlier. Luckily, Bloom had been home during the time, and was able to help contain the fire and save the store. It hadn't taken Vanessa long to restock the store after the fire, due to the insurance money, and customers were once again arriving on a daily basis. Bloom and Vanessa spent the better majority of the morning assisting customers, and yet somehow, no matter what the customers asked for, they always seemed to have just the right amount and color of flower in stock. A fact Bloom's mother noticed, after she told one customer that they were out of pink carnations and Bloom came to the counter with a bundle in hand. As the woman paid for the flowers and left, Vanessa just smiled to Bloom quietly as she turned to the girl with an almost accusing look and said, "You know, it really is wonderful to have an assistant with a... magic touch."

Bloom smiled softly in response to her mother, her eyes moving away to the flowers on the counter as she reached up and began to adjust and straighten one of the displays, while speaking. "Flora taught me that trick." She said, to herself before picking up the display and moving it forward where it would be more visible to the customers. Vanessa just smiled and shook her head calmly before she looked to the clock. "...Hm... Almost lunch time. Do you want me to go pick up anything to eat?" Vanessa asked, looking to Bloom as she began to collect her things. Bloom stopped and concentrated for a moment before she nodded her head. "Actually, lunch would be good, but we can't leave the shop unattended, and you really can't close up in the middle of the day... I'll stay behind to watch the store, alright?" Bloom replied, causing Vanessa to blink for a moment then nod her head with a smile as she replied, "Alright, Bloom. I won't be gone too long." Vanessa then walked out the front door of the shop and down the sidewalk to the parking lot nearby.

Soon after Vanessa left, Bloom picked up a small display of flowers and walked off into the back of the store. As Bloom walked out of sight, a lone figure entered the flower shop, approaching the front counter. Placing them down on a work desk. Bloom began picking out the wilted flowers. Each time she pulled a flower from the display, she concentrated her energy, focusing on the flower to re-energize the plant. Once she was satisfied with each, she put them back in the display carefully and when she was done, she slowly stood up to pick the display back up. Once Bloom reached for the display however, a sudden and sharp pain traveled up her spine and over her right shoulder, nearly causing her to fall to the floor. Bracing herself against the wall, Bloom was just able to hear a sudden thud in the display room outside. Once the pain began to subside, she quickly made her way back out to the front of the store, to see what the noise she heard actually was.

On the floor in the main display room, a young girl with bright white hair had collapsed and appeared to be in a great deal of pain. A cold chill surrounded the girl, and on her back, Bloom could recognize what only could have been a magical symbol glowing through her clothes. Without stopping to think, Bloom imiedately moved over to the prone girl, her hand reaching out to touch the girl's shoulder. The moment their bodies touched, a sudden jolt of energy traveled through Bloom's arm. Then the girl stopped clutching at her body, a sudden calm overtaking her. The pains seemed to subside slowly at first, but the longer Bloom's hand stayed in contact, the quicker they dissipated. Soon, the young woman sat up, taking great lengths to keep from looking at Bloom for the longest time, until she finally spoke, "...Thanks..."

Bloom's eyes widened, her hand moving away from the girl's body quickly as she fell over backwards and tried to pull away, the sudden realization of who this young girl was causing her to almost scream out, "Icy!?" The girl just sat with her back to Bloom, not looking back for the longest time before she finally turned her head. With her hair down, it was harder to recognize, but the face was definitely that of the witch from Magix. Icy, leader of the Trix. Something seemed.. different, though. The longer Bloom looked, the less harsh Icy's facial features became, until finally the witch was blushing a dull red through her cheeks. A sight Bloom only got to see for a brief moment before the witch turned her head away, her voice snapping out, but in a somewhat broken tone, "W..What you stupid pixie! Why are you staring at me like that?!" Bloom just continued to stare quietly for several moments, before finally looking away. Something was wrong, she could feel it, or was it? Something seemed different, something she hadn't felt when she last saw Icy in Magix, but the more Bloom tried to place the feeling, familiar it became.. as if she had always felt it.

Bloom finally shook her head in response to Icy, slowly moving to her feet before she reached out with one hand to help the witch off the floor. Icy paused for the briefest of moments, looking up at Bloom before she reached out to take hold of the fairy's hand, pulling herself up to her feet. The two stared at each other again, for what seemed like almost an eternity before Bloom shook her head to clear her thoughts. "A..Ah... Welcome to Vanessa's Flowers.. ...Mom's flowers must be popular if you're hearing about them in Magix..."

Icy just blinked quietly, staring at Bloom as the fairy tried to pass off the encounter without conflict, then she looks away to one side for a moment. The more the witch stood there trying to call up her rage against Bloom from within, the less she found. Finally, the witch nodded her head in reply, her eyes moving around the shop. "Actually... ... Yes, I was thinking about finding the perfect flowers to ... uh... brighten up the dorm room back at Cloud Tower...", She said without much hesitation, and resisting the urge to gag on her own words. Bloom just gave a sweet smile, fairly impressed with Icy's own feat herself, and after a moment she smiles and nods her head as she speaks, "I think... I think I know exactly what kind of flowers to give you, Icy. Just one moment..."

Bloom walks off behind the front counter again, to a display of red roses in the corner, where she stops for a moment and looks back to make sure that Icy was waiting as she said. Then she collects a cluster of roses from the display and bundles them up carefully, her hand moving over the petals gently to change the color of the petals from red to white. Pausing, Bloom looks at the flowers again for a moment, before she smiles and moves her hand across the rose petals again, this time using her powers in reverse to generate a light frost on the petals which turns the white to ice blue. Satisfied, Bloom smiles and moves back over to Icy in front of the counter and presents the roses gently as she speaks, "Here..."

Icy looked down quietly at the roses for a moment, another light blush forming across her cheeks as she notices the changes Bloom made to the roses. Then she shakes her head quietly while beginning to speak in a genuine tone, "They're beautiful... but I-" Bloom shook her head to stop Icy mid sentence, her lips turning up into a smile before she replies, "Please. Don't worry about money, consider it a gift..." Bloom smiles as she slowly offers the roses again, smiling even more, with a light blush to her cheeks as Icy takes them from her. For the briefest of moments, Bloom's mind wandered to her friends, to what they would say if they saw her giving their worst enemy a gift of flowers. Similarly, Icy's mind wandered to her sisters, wondering how they would tease her for taking a gift like this from a fairy, let alone Bloom. Then in almost perfect harmony, the two smiled, the thoughts in their minds being pushed out. Icy then looks to the roses again before she looks back to Bloom and smiles just before she speaks, a sentence of two words that Bloom never had heard Icy say before, "Thank you." With that, Icy turned to walk out of the store, and as she walked away down the street, Bloom's eyes followed the witch until she was out of sight, her fingers still in a half closed position as though she had never let go of the rose bundle. A sudden jingle caught her attention, causing her to jump slightly and shake her head as her body relaxed, her eyes moving back to greet the face of her mother entering the store.

Vanessa just blinked quietly at Bloom for a moment, her head tilting as she walks up to bloom and asks, "Bloom? Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost..." Bloom quietly shook her head in response to Vanessa's guess, her hands moving to the counter momentarily before she looked back to the place where Icy had left her view one last time. Finally, Bloom replies to her mother in a quiet voice, "Ah... No. I'm fine Mom. I guess.. I guess I just zoned out for a moment or something..." Vanessa just smiled at Bloom quietly, shaking her head before she walked back behind the counter to set the bag of food down, then she turns back to Bloom with a smile on her face as she speaks, "You know, it's a good thing you did come home. At least here you can get some rest so that you'll stop spacing out like that." Bloom just blinked quietly to herself before she smirks quietly, replying to her mother, "Mom! I'm not spacing out, I just have a lot of things on my mind, okay?" Vanessa nods her head in response to Bloom before she waves her hand towards the food while saying, "Either way, you should come get something to eat while things are relatively calm... and try to take it easy for the rest of the day, okay?" In response, Bloom nods her head a final time, then walks behind the counter to retrieve her food. As she sits down quietly behind the counter, her eyes drift off again to the place where Icy left her view, her thoughts beginning to drift again as she eats her lunch silently.

* * *

This concludes my Prologue for my new fan-fic, I hope you like it as I put a good deal of thought into it. I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors, as they frankly tend to slip past me on a regular basis. Please feel free to comment, tell your friends, and leave large gifts of pecan pie on my doorstep. Remember. Pecan Pies help the creative process, and only you can prevent writers block. ....

You know. I'm fairly sure that's a sign I should be in bed. 9.9. Adios, Reader! See you next time!

-NayokiYakazami


	2. Chapter 1: The Second Meeting

**Winx Club: Forbidden Love**  
**Chapter 1** – **The Second Meeting**

Written By: Nayoki Yakazami

* * *

"If I had known then, the things I know now... I wonder if I would have stayed in Gardenia as long as I did..." Bloom says to the young Eraklyon servant, folding her arms lazily across her waist as she begins to step calmly over towards a window that overlooks the palace courtyard. The red haired princess gazes silently across the courtyard, which by now was bathed in the light of the new day, and glistening with the remnants of the early morning dew. Her eyes half close as she gazes through the glass, before slowly lifting her right hand away from her waist to rest her fingertips against it silently. Bloom takes a moment to think about what she said before she continues, "...Yes... I suppose I would have..."

Bloom turns to look back at the servant before she smiles silently. "Of course... I didn't know anything at the time... I could only feel that... my place was at Gardenia, with my family and..." Bloom silently pauses before she shakes her head, continuing her statement, "I did think of my friends, of course... But there was no way I could face them... Not after the humiliation that I brought on Alfea by attacking Princess Diaspro during the Day of the Royals at Red Fountain... I'm sure they knew I had gone but weren't allowed to follow me due to Ms. Griselda's punishments." Bloom silently closes her eyes before she sits down on the foot of her bed, her eyes moving to the servant before she silently shakes her head. "I wasn't sure what to make of myself after the incident in the flower shop... I found myself thinking about Icy constantly... For a while, I was even worried that the reason she collapsed in the Flower shop was that she had been attacked by her sisters.. After all, what was I to expect? She had a magic symbol glowing on her body, and when I touched her I felt a sudden jolt, similar to passing electricity..." Bloom goes silent again, waiting for something, anything from the servant, who just sat silently in contemplation of Bloom's tale. The silence causes Bloom to just sigh before she shakes her he head. "I... Really couldn't have been more wrong.... For you see, the next morning..."

* * *

Bloom awoke not long after her alarm began to sound, signaling the start of another day. Another peaceful and ordinary day, one that Bloom planned to spend the same way she spent her last ordinary day before she met Stella, in the park.

As she pulled away her covers and rose to her feet, the first sensation to hit Bloom's senses... was the fact that her room was cold. Abnormally cold... But the sensation seemed to be fading, and Bloom didn't question it. She thought it was just the after effects of her mother or father having left the air conditioner running for the evening, and only just recently having turned the unit off once they were awakened. It took her a few minutes to collect herself from the day before, but once she had, she made her way casually from her bedroom across the hall to the upstairs bath.

Gazing at herself in the bathroom mirror, Bloom's mind began to drift back to Magix. Back to her friends, and what they might be doing. Then her thoughts drifted to Stella and Brandon, wondering how Stella was handling, much the same shock, as she was... Sky was a Prince, and Brandon his squire... Both had lied to them for much the same reasons, and the first thought into Bloom's mind... Could they ever really be trusted again? The red haired girl stares silently at the mirror for a few moments longer, before she picks up a small hair brush, beginning to comb through the length of her hair.

After several strokes of the brush, Bloom lifted a small hand mirror and turned so that her back was to the bathroom's large mirror, lifting the hand mirror up so that she could see the back of her hair and continue brushing it properly. Her free hand lifted the brush, and her eyes moved to the hand mirror's surface, reflecting what the mirror on the wall behind her did... and she froze. It took several seconds before Bloom's eyes moved away from the large, arcane mark tattooed into her back... longer still before she herself began to move again. Her mind didn't begin to process it immediately, but then her mind drifted back to the day before... That mark was the same that she had seen glowing through Icy's clothes! The realization caused her to jump suddenly, the hand mirror flying from her grip across the room where it shattered against the floor.

At the sudden impact from upstairs, and the sound of shattering glass, Vanessa turned towards the stairs and began to approach them quickly. "Bloom!? Is everything alright?" She called out to Bloom, a mixture of panic and concern sounding through her voice she spoke.

A few moments later, Bloom replied, "It's okay, mom, I'm fine!" A short pause followed this before Bloom emerged from the bathroom to wave at her mother down the stairs, wrapped in a bath towel. "I just dropped my mirror is all... Sorry I scared you! I'll clean up the mess."

Vanessa quietly blinked at the response from Bloom, then gave a sigh of relief before she smiled to Bloom. "Oh... Thank goodness. I heard the crash and thought for sure you had fallen, or something... It's good that you're alright." Vanessa smiled again before she began to wring her hands through a small dish towel that she was carrying. "I'm just finishing up with the dishes, is there anything in particular that you want for breakfast, Bloom?" Vanessa asked, turning to walk back towards the kitchen.

Bloom just sighed with relief after Vanessa was out of sight, then took a calm breath before she looked back to the bathroom. Finally replying to her mother, Bloom called back downstairs to her mother, "Ah... Just the usual mom! Toast, bacon, and eggs, please! I'll be down after I clean up this mess and take a shower!"

With that, Bloom stepped back into the bathroom and closed the door silently behind her, locking it firmly before she turned to look back towards the glass shards and hand mirror's frame. Carefully, she made her way over to the frame and picked it up in her hand, staring at it for a moment before she began to wave her hand carefully in a circular pattern over it, and the glass on the floor. After a few moments, sparks of red light began to filter from her fingertips, drawing the glass upwards off of the floor and back into the frame of the hand mirror. Each piece gently settled back into place, then each crack quickly began to reseal and vanish from the surface of the mirror. Bloom then turned her attention back to the marking on her back.. Her hand sliding behind her to rub across it's surface carefully before she finally places the small hand mirror onto the counter. Bloom turned to face herself in the mirror, giving a silent sigh, her voice sounding concerned as she speaks to herself, "What in the world is that marking... Why do Icy and I both have it on our backs... It doesn't look like any magical symbol that I've ever seen before. … Granted that I haven't seen very many, but it hasn't come up in any of the classes that I'm taking at Alfea..." She stood there silently for several minutes, staring at herself in the mirror, before she finally gave a gentle sigh. "There's no point in worrying about it now, I guess... It will be best if I just get a shower and try to forget about it. I'm sure if it's one of Icy's tricks, she'll be more than willing to run her mouth about her plan whenever I see her again..." Bloom said to herself, turning away from the mirror to walk across the bathroom and step into the shower.

By the time Bloom finishes her shower, and gets dressed, Vanessa has prepared enough breakfast for the two of them. As usual, due to his job as a fireman, Mike had left much earlier in the morning. Of course Bloom understood that. She understood it and was very proud of her father, it also left her with time to spend with her mother each morning before she set out for her daily activities and routine.

As the two sat down at the kitchen table, Bloom smiled to her mother and began to serve food for the two. Of course thanks to her magic she was able to do so in a much more fantastic way than normal, floating plates, flying eggs and bacon, toast that buttered itself... All without making a mess of the kitchen. The spectacle caused Vanessa to just blink slightly before she began to laugh at the show being put on by her daughter. Finally once the food was on the plates and sitting before both girls, Vanessa quietly glanced up towards Bloom, holding a fork in one hand before she smiles.

"Bloom... Are you sure you should be giving up on your magical training like this?" Vanessa asks, waiting for a response from Bloom for a few moments, before she continues, "Yes, you made a mistake, but mistakes can be fixed... You know your father and I will stand by whatever you decide, so long as you're happy with your decision..."

Bloom sat silently as she listened to her mother, quietly glancing down at her food before she finally looks back up to Vanessa and smiles, her head shaking calmly. "I suppose that's true, Mom... But I can't go back.. Not after what I did..." Bloom says quietly before she begins to eat the food on her plate. After a few minutes, Bloom puts her fork down, then looks up at Vanessa again before she adds, "I... Just really need some time to think... About everything that's happened... about what I did... about Sky... about running off the way I did... Everything."

Vanessa just smiled and gave a quiet nod of her head, before she gives Bloom an understanding smile. "Of course dear... Take all the time you need. You're more than welcome to stay here until you make up your mind whether or not you want to stay home, or go back to Alfea." She then pauses, getting quiet again as the two continue to eat. After a few minutes, though, Vanessa just smiles before she asks... "So, got any big plans for the day? The store is closed today, and there isn't much to do around the house... Not that couldn't be done later."

Bloom blinks silently at that, then nods her head before she finishes what's left of the food on her plate, then picks up her dishes, carrying them across the room before she speaks. "I'm thinking I'll head to the park with Kiko... You know, try to get some relaxation time in while I'm back home, maybe do some reading outdoors... It's been a while since I've actually sat outside and did something normal that didn't involve things flying around my head." She replied to her mother's inquiry, adding the later with a somewhat joking tone. "But really, I thought it would be nice to just relax in the park for a bit..."

Vanessa just smiled at Bloom before she gave an approving nod of her head. "I agree, some time to relax and think about everything is just what you need. I'll pack you a lunch so that you can have a picnic in the park with Kiko too, after all, you know how easily spooked he gets when he's hungry."

Bloom smiles at that then starts to giggle, covering her mouth with one hand before Kiko pulls at the leg of her jeans and glares up with an angry look. Bloom just smiles, laughs, then opens her arms. "Oh Kiko, you know we're just joking with you... You're the bravest bunny around town, and everyone knows it." Bloom says, smiling as the blue rabbit jumps up into her arms and nuzzles up against her stomach carefully before Bloom just looks up at Vanessa and begins to laugh again. "Alright, mom, if you're sure you don't mind the extra trouble, lunch in the park sounds fun."

Vanessa just smiled at Bloom before she shook her head, standing up so that she could carry her dishes from the table to the sink. "It's no trouble at all, Bloom. You run along and get ready to leave, I'll pack your lunch while you're getting ready, alright?" Vanessa asked, already beginning to gather numerous things from the kitchen to prepare a picnic lunch for her daughter.

"Alright mom, I'll go get ready then. According to the weather it's supposed to be relatively warm today... so I think I'll dress like I normally do for a walk in the park." Bloom said, leaving the kitchen a few moments later to begin preparing for the trip to the park. However, once she leaves Vanessa's sight, the girl's expression becomes more concerned, her mind drifting back to the marking that she had found on her back. Shaking her head, she tried to clear the thoughts from her head, deciding instead that she would try to enjoy the day in the park, and let the answer for the marking come to her instead.

Gathering her things, Bloom began to walk back downstairs with a book under one arm, and Kiko resting in the other which was folded across her midsection to support the small bunny. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Vanessa smiled holding out a picnic basket large enough to hold food and drink for two. Kiko blinked quietly, hopping down from Bloom's arm to land on the floor nearby.

"Mom.. Isn't that a lot of food?" Bloom asked, reaching out with her now free hand to take hold of the basket that was offered to her.

Vanessa just smiled releasing the basket once Bloom had a firm grip. "I know it seems like a lot, but I decided to pack extra in case you were hungry, or Kiko decided to try and sneak food while you're attention is caught up in your book." She says, grinning slightly at Bloom before she waves her hand and continues. "Besides, it's a beautiful day, you'll find something to do to work off the excess food, I'm sure."

Bloom blinked for a moment at that then started to laugh. "Mom, you make it sound like I eat way too much..." Shaking her head quietly, she continues, "Worse to worse, I can always bring whatevers left home..." She then smiles and glances down to Kiko at her feet. "Ready to go, Kiko?"

Kiko bounced happily at that, hopping in small circles around Bloom's feet before he stopped and looked up at Bloom for a moment. Beginning to tug at the leg of Bloom's bluejeans, Kiko gives a small grunt, trying to pull her along, before turning away to hop towards the front door. Bloom smiled for a moment at that, then began to follow her bunny along, speaking to her mother as she does. "I guess Kiko is eager to get going..."

Vanessa just smiled, waving to Bloom as the girl began to leave. "Make sure you look both ways before crossing the street, and I'm sure it doesn't need to be said, but do be careful. Your father and I would be very upset if something happened to you."

Nodding her head, Bloom gave a momentary glance over her shoulder to speak. "I'll be fine mom, it's a short ride to the park. And the bike trail there is well kept. See you in a few hours!" She said before closing the front door behind her. Outside it was a comfortably warm Saturday morning in spring. The sound of the birds chirping was only interrupted by the sound of a rare passing car. Bloom smiled to herself as she walked over to her bicycle, then placed the picnic basket down carefully in the basket on the front of her bicycle, followed next by her book and Kiko. "Alright Kiko!" Bloom said, "Let's hit the park!"

* * *

Darcy quietly lounges with one leg draped lazily over the edge of a small couch arm, her arms folded over her waist as she watches Knut dust a small night stand in the corner of the room. The witch's eyes narrow slowly before she sighs and looks away towards the ceiling, closing her eyes before she speaks up. "Knut... Must you do that NOW? You know we're waiting for a status report on Bloom's condition from Icy.

Knut just blinked with a slightly confused look, his head turning towards Darcy for a moment before he put down the duster and gave an apologetic bow, clapping his hands together. "Sorry, Highness, I was only trying to tidy up a bit for you.."

Darcy quietly opens one eye before she gives a silent sigh. "Oh very well..." Her attention then turns to Stormy who, for once was sitting rather quietly in a corner of the room, reading over a spell book. "...What are you doing, Stormy?", Darcy asked, a small bit of annoyance in her voice... She'd never admit it openly, but the fact that Stormy was upsetting her normal routine seemed to unnerve the witch.

Stormy quietly glances up from her book before giving a quick look around the room, blinking for a moment before she folds the book closed and places one hand on top. "Are you serious? I'm studying up on spells to defend myself, in case Griffin finds out that we sneaked back in!" She replied, looking across the room to Darcy before she quietly shakes her head, continuing. "If Griffin catches us in here, she'll lock us under the tower."

Darcy just gives a silent sigh before she shakes her head, speaking up with an annoyed tone, "Stormy.. For the last time... Griffin won't find us in here because her spider eye sentries will only see an empty room... It's part of the illusion that I put in place. The doorway is enchanted as well so that whenever someone approaches we'll know... and lastly the entire room is soundproofed by another enchantment. We're perfectly safe from being discovered by Ms. Griffin."

"It's a good thing too." Icy's voice calls out from a nearby mirror as she slowly steps through, glaring at the two witches and Knut coldly before folding her arms over her waist. "If Griffin did find out, we'd never get the chance to take what's rightfully ours..." Icy says before she leans back on the mirror.

"Well? How did it go? Is the pixie cursed?" Stormy asks, grinning at Icy eagerly as she places the spell book she was reading down on the table next to her with a thud.

"...Of course she is, Stormy. I put the curse on her as she slept. … I'm sure her life will start falling apart any time now, and when she's weak and confused, that's when we make our move. So far, she's made no attempt to contact her friends... And they have made no attempt to come to her. For the time being, I've decided that I will spend my time on Earth, spying on Bloom so that we'll know the exact moment to strike." Icy replies, her eyes glancing at the two witches as she speaks before she finally turns to look at Darcy who just quietly shrugs her shoulders. The response from Darcy causes Icy to give a low, displeased growl before she speaks, "Do you have something to say, Darcy?"

"...Yes, I do. I don't see why we don't just go, right now, and take the Dragon Fire while Bloom is helpless. The curse is in place, she'll be tortured either way, why should we wait any longer than we already have to rip out the Dragon Fire and rule this realm?" Darcy asks, her eyes moving to Icy before she shakes her head, standing up to brush off her uniform. "I just don't understand why we aren't moving forward with our plans, and instead giving Bloom a chance to learn what's going on." She adds, finally turning to look towards Icy.

Icy's eyes lock with Darcy's for a moment before she looks away. "Because I'm the boss. But more importantly, because if we sit back and observe Bloom's actions for now, we can learn more about her All that's required from the two of you is that you move ahead with the preparations here. I'll handle spying on Bloom, and let you both know when it's time for us to move in and take the Dragon Fire."

Stormy quietly looks between the two witches before she gives a pained sigh, deciding to speak up so that she can be heard. "It sounds like Icy has a plan... Let's just trust her judgment for now. We'll get our chance soon enough."

Darcy remains silent for a few moments before she turns and walks away from Icy, sitting back down on the couch where she shrugs her shoulders. "If you say so, Icy. We'll begin preparations, just don't take too long with your spying. I'd like to be ruling the magic dimension before I'm as old as the ancestral witches."

Icy quietly looks between the two minutes for a moment, a relieved energy passing over her briefly before she nods her head. "Good, then I expect you two to be ready when I call..." The ice witch then turns and walks through the mirror again, the surface rippling softly for a few moments after she's gone, then slowly shaping back into a solid glass mirror.

Darcy pauses, glancing towards the mirror with one eye before she leaves, then just smiles before she turns her head back towards the ceiling and closes her eyes, her leg draping lazily back across the arm of the couch before she sighs. "I still think I'm right... But... She is the leader, after all." Darcy shrugs at that, closing her eyes quietly. "We'll begin preparations in a few hours, Stormy." She says as she begins to drift off to sleep quietly.

* * *

The park was just as peaceful as always, the sound of birds and other small animals rustling in the trees and along the small bicycle path could be heard all around as Bloom rode along quietly towards her favorite place in the park. Due to the way the path was designed, she could maintain a gentle cruising speed without much effort, allowing her to make it there and back without too much effort. Either way, Kiko always seemed to enjoy the ride, holding on to the front of the basket so that his ears could flap gently in the oncoming wind.

As she arrived, Bloom gently guided her bike off of the trail and onto the side, lifting herself off of the bicycle to push it gently through the grass towards a large oak tree. Kiko bounds free of the basket the minute the bicycle stops moving, and begins to bounce around the tree happily. Bloom just smiled, watching Kinko's antics before she retrieved her book and the basket from her bike, turning to the rabbit as she speaks. "Okay, okay!" She giggles at the rabbit. "Go play Kiko, but don't run off too far, alright? Remember what happened last time you didn't listen to me." She added that with a grin as sort of a joke, before carrying the basket and her book over to the tree where she sits down on the ground, and leans back silently, placing the basket on the ground next to her. Mildly convinced that it was safe when Kiko didn't come running out of the bushes screaming, Bloom silently opened her book and began to read over the pages gently.

Bloom continued reading uninterrupted for several minutes... then suddenly she could feel heat along her shoulders burning... It wasn't causing her any real pain, so much as it was drawing her attention upwards from her book. She could feel it, that marking on her back was reacting with something, something nearby. The sensation continued to grow stronger for several moments... until Bloom could feel her.. the presence of whatever it was that the marking on her back was reacting too... In one, almost fluid motion, Bloom moved forward onto her feet, spinning around to face the presence behind her... Only to be greeted by the face of the girl from the flower store again... "Y... You!" Bloom cried out, her hand raising, finger pointing towards Icy. "Icy...! What are you doing here...?!"

The young witch stood still, her eyes closed, focused on Bloom's every moment, even as the fairy rose to her feet and pointed towards her... The sudden movement barely caused Icy to flinch. As the two stood there, staring, the sensation on Bloom's back began to fade... replaced by a sense of confusion and … possibly even fear. "...Why aren't you transforming, Pixie...? You've never hesitated this long before..." Icy stated, her eyes locked with Bloom's. "...I'm obviously here alone, without the aid of my sisters..." She adds, her arms moving slowly to her sides.

Bloom stood silently watching Icy's movements as well, no sure why the witch hasn't attacked her yet. "...I don't know.... I guess because I don't want the park to become a battleground..." She states simply,trying her best to look away from the witch, but finds herself unable to do so for several seconds before she forces herself to look towards the ground. After several moments of silence, Bloom finds herself posing a question towards Icy... One that she herself even finds hard to believe she's asking. "...If we're both here alone... ...Would you like to eat lunch? I've got extra..." Bloom says, motioning towards the picnic basket nearby.

Icy's eyes move to the basket, before she blinks... She wants to be mad that Bloom would even insinuate something so... outrageous to her. The two of them... eating together in a public setting! The very idea made her blood boil... or it normally would. Instead, no matter how much she tried to be infuriated with Bloom... The witch seemed drawn towards accepting the offer. "...Fine... Lunch could be.... nice." Her voice cracked slightly on the last word she said before sitting down on the ground nearby.

The two girls sat in total silence, staring at each other for several moments before Icy's eyes move to lock with Bloom's. For the time, she seemed content to stare... Finally, after several moments of silence, Icy held out her hand to Bloom. "...Thank you, for helping me in the flower shop the other day... I don't know what came over me. When I woke up.. I was there." Icy says, her eyes watching Bloom for a moment before the young fairy opens her basket and begins pulling out food for the two of them, spreading it out on a picnic blanket carefully.

"You seemed like you were in pain... It's the least I could do. … Whatever it was I did... All I remember was touching you." Bloom said, conveniently leaving out the part about the marker on her back, as she finished serving up the food, taking her place on the blanket before she picks up a sandwich carefully. "Did you enjoy the roses...? That.. was what you came to the flower shop for, right? The roses?" Bloom asked, beginning to eat quietly as she watches the witch silently.

Icy nods her head silently before she looks up to Bloom again. "...They were beautiful, Bloom... Just like...." Icy pauses, her eyes widening. Was she really about to say that to Bloom? The witch just sat there quietly in shock for several moments as Bloom continued to watch on silently.

"Just like....?" Bloom repeated, her voice sounding curious.. As though she wanted Icy to continue.

It was several minutes later before Icy even uttered another symbol... The entire time she sat there, staring at the sandwich in her hands quietly... trying to find something, anything, else to say to Bloom other than what was really on her mind.... But the more she tried to replace it, the stronger it's presence became. Finally, Icy's voice speaks up in a much lower tone, her eyes cast down to the ground as low as they could be to avoid eye contact with Bloom, "Y...You."

Bloom's eyes moved upwards slowly to stare at Icy as she finishes her previous statement, then back down again... She couldn't explain it, but there was something inside of her that felt.. happy, to hear those words from Icy... The young princess only smiled, her hand moving up to rest gently on Icy's shoulder. "...Icy? … How's the sandwich?" She asks.. both changing the subject and avoiding the question all at once. "My mother made them... My Earth mother anyway... I hope you like them."

"...I've never had anything like them before.. Food at Cloud Tower is usually pretty terrible, and the hang outs for witches in Magix... ...Hmph, not one decent food establishment on the list." Icy replies, taking another sandwich before she looks to Bloom, her eyes locking with the fairy as the two draw closer... The two get closer, as though driven by an unseen force, leaning closer and closer towards each other until a sharp noise begins to sound from Bloom's pocket, causing the two to draw back quickly.

Reaching into her pocket, Bloom pulls out her cellphone and opens it, speaking carefully into the phone so that she tries not to sound strange. "H...Hello?"

"Bloom? I know you had plans to be in the park today, but would you mind coming by the store for just a bit...? A very important client called in and they need as many bouquets of roses as soon as possible." Vanessa's voice responds from the other end of the line.

"Ah... The shop...? Now?" She pauses to look around carefully as she speaks, only to find that Icy is no longer there, apparently having left secretly the minute Bloom looked away to retrieve her phone. "Ah... Sure mom." Bloom replies, "I'll be there in a few minutes."

Vanessa smiles on the other end of the phone before she nods her head. "Alright dear, thank you so much... I knew I could count on you." She says before she looks back at the order. "By the way... Bloom, are you okay? Your voice sounds kind of strange." Vanessa asks, her eyes moving down as she waits for a response.

Bloom silently smiles and nods her head, having to wait for several minutes before she was actually comfortable with saying so. "Ah.. yeah, I'm fine mom, just day dreaming, I suppose... I'll be at the shop in about twenty minutes."

"Thank you so much, Bloom." Vanessa's voice replies across the phone before the two hang up, Bloom pocketing her phone before she glances around the area again only to find that Icy truly had left. The realization that Icy had gone just causes Bloom to sigh to herself before beginning to pack up her things again.

"Kiko!" Bloom called out, the small rabbit darting out of the bushes towards Bloom quickly. "We've got to get going Kiko. Mother just called and said that she needs our help at the flower shop..." Bloom says, glancing around one last time before she places her things into the basket of her bicycle again. "We have to hurry, she needs our help filling an order!"

From a distance, Icy's eyes squint as she watches Bloom and Kiko ride off down the bicycle trail, her right hand clenched tightly at her side as she watches the two leave. She shook her head quietly to herself before she gave a quiet sigh. "Snap out of it, Icy... She's a pixie... and she has the key to our domination... We have to take it, one way or another." The witch says to herself before finally vanishing from sight.

* * *

Well... It was a long time coming, wasn't it folks? I've kept you all waiting far too long for the continuation of this story. Unfortunately, life as we all know tends to throw us curve balls that we aren't completely expecting at the time. I'll spare you all the details, suffice it to say that now I'm doing these fics on a new computer.

I appreciate everyone's reviews on the prologue, it makes me happy to see that so many people ( regardless if they reviewed or not) actually read (or at least clicked on) my story. I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter! There will be more very soon. I promise it won't take me half a year this time! Bye for now!

~Nayoki Yakazami


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